Analysis of Laminar Forced Convection of Air Crossflow in In-Line Tube Banks with NonSquare Arrangements

ABSTRACT

Numerical analysis is made of forced-convection heat transfer in laminar two-dimensional steady crossflow in banks of plain tubes in square and nonsquare in-line arrangements. A finite-volume method with a nonorthogonal, boundary-fitted grid and co-located variable storage is used to solve the Navier–Stokes equations and energy conservation equation for a tube bundle with five longitudinal rows, including inlet and outlet sections. Local and overall heat transfer and fluid flow results are presented at combinations of transverse and longitudinal pitch-to-diameter ratios of 1.25, 1.5, and 2.0 at Reynolds numbers of 100 and 300 for a Prandtl number of 0.71. A comparison of the present study results with well-established experiments and empirical correlations showed good overall agreement. New equations are proposed for a correction factor for the effects of nonsquare arrangements on average friction factor.